Stage 1 IDC one side - bilateral mastectomy

Just wanted to chime in that I was in a similar situation and went with a nipple sparing bilateral at age 43. That was over 4 years ago. Not one regret. I know (for me) the every 6 month MRI's/mammograms would have been way more stressful. And yes, you generally get a better result with (implant) reconstruction when you are doing both. Plus the natural side will fluctuate with your weight/age more so than the reconstructed side.

I had a clean mammo and then a few months later found the lump which was about 1 cm at the time.  I was told it looked like a fibroadenoma and to come back in 6 months.  When I went back 6 mo's later it was IDC 1.1 cm.  I was stage 1 but since the mammogram didn't even find the 1 cm lump, I did BMX. 

hi i just found out 2 days ago that i have IDC stage one lump is 1 centimeter what all that means not sure but guess as time goes on it will become more clear.. Now i have to do a MRI i had one done once before but couldn't handle it . Up now at 2 am wondering how the hell I'm going to get thru this 45 min procedure when i didn't even last 15 min. Dr gave me a sedative but I'm not sure thats going work my mind is already racing any suggestion?

Hi, I am so relieved to find that I am not alone in this ordeal - not that I'm happy that anyone else has to go through this. I was diagnosed on 12/19/14 with IDC stage 1 grade 3 on the right side after dealing with a stereotatic biopsy, ultrasound biopsy and MRI biopsy which all failed to biopsy the tumor due to the density of the breast tissue. I have extremely dense breast tissue in both breasts and have been struggling with whether or not to have BMX. I don't want to have to deal with annual mammograms and MRI's and the worry of BC showing up again and having the same trouble diagnosing it. I also don't want to do radiation.... I am worried about going with implants for reconstruction though because of the things that I have heard about implants, but it is my best option at this point. I am going crazy trying to come to terms with all of this and appreciate any wisdom you can give me. Thanks and warmest wishes for the best!

Hi Dancermom19...your response definitely helps - what you went through for 7 years is exactly what I want to avoid. I am happy to hear that your reconstruction process turned out so great! That is awesome. Did you go with silicone or saline? I'm glad that you did not need chemo. I go today to talk to the medical oncologist about my OncoDx score to see if I will be doing chemo or not....so much to think about. I know that all this is REAL, but it still seems pretty surreal. I guess that has to do with having the lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy and then nothing and then suddenly I have to make some pretty tough decisions... I expect that I will be on an AI as I am post menopausal - glad that you are no longer on tamoxifen - I hope anastrozole is better for you. Congratulations on passing your one year mark!! Thanks again for your response - it is reassuring. Best wishes!

Do you mind telling me how old you are. Why did they decide on chemotherapy was at your age?

Hi JLF,

It is very hard when you have dense breasts because you can't rely on self exams and mammos are not 100 percent acccurate. I was in the same situation, very dense breast, had a cyst in my left breast removed when I was 35 and was then scheduled mamos every 6 months because of density. Had another cyst removed in my right breast in 2009. Had my 6 month mammo the beginning of 2010, told numerous calcium deposits on left breast but none on right, got a second opinion and was DX with cancer after needle biopsy. My mammo AND mri showed 2 tumors on left breast, I decided to get them both removed. My pathology came back that I actually had 8 tumors! That just cemented to me the fact that I made the right decision since mammos can't see everything. I think it comes down to an individual decision on what gives you peace of mind, and for me I chose being proactive and not wanting to live in fear.